Good Old Days
by Amber477
Summary: Why does Elle Driver hate Beatrix so much? Let's take a trip down memory lane...back to days of the original DiVas...RR!


Disclaimer- Nothing's mine--all the characters belong to the genius Tarantino.  
  
The Good Old Days   
  
Elle Driver finally reached Bill's Mexican-style hacienda, with the number 101 emblazoned on the door, panting slightly. She pulled her key out of her left running shoe, stepping inside as the sun rose behind threateningly gray clouds behind her back.  
  
Elle walked into the main living area, seeing Vernita pounding the hell out of the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. She was clothed all in black, and with her dark skin and braids, she cut a pretty intimidating figure. She paused from her abuse of the punching bag in greeting.  
  
"Hey, girl." She said breathlessly.  
  
"Morning." Elle acknowledged her, heading toward the kitchen.  
  
O-Ren Ishii was on her little blue yoga mat in front of the kitchen, in a handstand, her legs in the splits over her head.  
  
"Hey." She said calmly, as if she wasn't in a contortionist position.  
  
"How's it going, miniature circus freak?" Elle grinned, carefully stepping around her.  
  
"Not too bad, you anorexic Amazon. Where've you been?" O-Ren replied, also smiling as a vein in her forehead began to bulge as all the blood rushed to her head.  
  
"Went for a run. It's supposed to rain all day, so I thought I'd get up early and beat the storm." Elle explained, getting bottled water out of the fridge.  
  
"Good thinking." O-Ren said, switching to splits in the other direction, her arms showing no sign of exhaustion from her difficult position.  
  
"Where's B?" Elle asked, perching on one of the barstools next to the counter.  
  
"Haven't seen her." Vernita replied, entering the kitchen to get some water herself.  
  
"Well, she better get her ass back here. We have to leave for assignment in a couple of hours." Elle sighed with annoyance.  
  
"I don't know why Bill always puts you two on assignment together. He knows you two don't exactly…mesh." Vernita said tactfully.  
  
"Maybe he's thinking we'll bond or something. Where is Bill anyway?" Elle redid her tight, blond ponytail, careful not to move her black eye patch.  
  
"I think he's still asleep. He hasn't come down yet." Vernita said, giving O-Ren a meaningful look.  
  
"What was that?" Elle looked at the two of them.  
  
"What do you mean?" O-Ren blinked innocently, her two braids and freckles only helping her case as she came out of the splits.  
  
"It's just a little suspicious. B's not in her room, Bill's not up when he usually is…even a white chick could deduce some conclusions from that." Vernita shrugged.  
  
Elle finally caught on.  
  
"What? Are you kidding? No way. That's not what's going on." She rolled her eye dismissively.  
  
"Well, whatever, girl, think what you want." Vernita retaped her bloody knuckles, going to the punching bag again.  
  
"That's crazy. Right, Ren?" Elle looked at her.  
  
O-Ren just shrugged, and went back to her strength training on her mat.  
  
Suddenly, the phone rang. Elle sighed, answering it, distracted.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Hey, you one-eyed blond bitch."  
  
"Budd. How I've looked forward to hearing your voice." Elle said sarcastically.  
  
"You missed me, sweet ass?" Budd said, his voice equally heavy with dislike.  
  
"Oh, I cried myself to sleep every night."  
  
"I'll bet. Well, I'm headed back to Bill's right now, but I need to ask him something. Could you go get him fer me?"  
  
"Why don't you just ask him when you get here?"  
  
"Because it's important. Come on, Elle."  
  
"Who said you could address me by my first name?"  
  
"Fine, there's plenty of other things I could call you."  
  
"I'm shaking. I'll go get him- hold on." Elle held the phone down by her side as s  
  
she ascended the stairs to the second floor which housed everyone's rooms.  
  
Bill's majestically sized master bedroom was at the end of the hall. Elle reached it after a ridiculously long walk, and didn't bother to knock, stepping inside.  
  
His dark blue curtains were still drawn, and he was still asleep in bed, his bare back to her. Elle sighed.  
  
"Bill, baby, it's almost noon. Wake the hell up." She smiled, walking towards him.  
  
As she got closer, she realized with a jolt that he wasn't alone. A familiar mass of blond curls was spread over the pillow next to him. Elle felt her blood boil with anger, clutching the phone so tight it almost cracked in her grip.  
  
"BILL!" She practically shouted, startling them both awake.  
  
Bill and Beatrix looked up at her, both bleary eyed. No one spoke for a long moment.  
  
"Something wrong, Elle?" Bill finally asked in his maddeningly calm voice.  
  
"Phone for you." Elle practically spat, extending the hand holding the phone towards him.  
  
Beatrix pulled the sheets over her chest, pushing herself up on the pillow she'd been sleeping on, and looking out the window, not looking into Elle's furious blue eye.  
  
"Mind telling me who it is?"  
  
"Not a bit. It's your sorry excuse for a brother."  
  
Bill nodded, taking the phone from her.  
  
"Budd?" He said into the phone, getting out of bed, and pulling on a robe as he walked into the bathroom to talk with a little more privacy.  
  
Elle and Beatrix were left in a long, uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Look, Elle-" Beatrix finally spoke, looking at her with a blue, earnest stare.  
  
"You know what, B? I'm just going to stop you right there. It's your business if you want to screw around the night before our biggest assignment."  
  
"You're right, it is my business. So I'd appreciate you not telling everyone else."  
  
"Oh, what, like we're such great gal pals? Next you'll be asking me to braid your hair at a slumber party." Elle said hatefully.  
  
Beatrix sighed.  
  
"Come on, Elle, it just kind of…happened. Please don't hate me for this. You know, more than usual."  
  
Elle shook her head.  
  
"I do hate you. I hate that you just swooped in here, and practically overnight, you're Bill's favorite student, despite the fact that I have two years experience on you, and now you're screwing him too. I hate that you're the only thing he cares about. The rest of us might as well not even be here. I hate that you've ruined our group. So basically, yeah, you pretty much top my list on all counts. And not the kind of list you want to be on, if you follow me, which I highly doubt."  
  
"What, was that you trying to intimidate me? You want to know why I'm his favorite? Because I'm better than you. In every respect. And you know it." Beatrix raised her eyebrows defiantly.  
  
"You bitch." Elle practically growled.  
  
"You know if it was ever just you and me, one on one, I'd destroy you." Beatrix continued.  
  
"Anytime you want to go, I'm ready." Elle's large hands coiled into fists, her knuckles cracking.  
  
"I'll keep that in mind." Beatrix smiled smugly.  
  
At that moment, Bill reentered the bedroom, fully dressed.  
  
"Thanks, Elle." He handed the phone back to her.  
  
Her heart twisting with hurt at his flippancy towards her, she forced a smile on her face.  
  
"What'd Budd want?"  
  
"Nothing important. You should go get ready for the assignment." He said, not even looking at her as he watched Beatrix avoid both of their gazes.  
  
Elle nodded, glaring as she left the room and slammed the door behind her.  
  
Bill blinked, looking at the closed door.  
  
"What's her problem?" He looked back at Beatrix.  
  
Beatrix shrugged. Bill smiled at her.  
  
"How do you even look gorgeous first thing in the morning?"  
  
Beatrix grinned, looking down as Bill sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Look, Bill, about what happened last night…" Her voice trailed off, hoping he'd cut her off.  
  
He didn't, he just sat there looking at her perfectly tanned face and brilliant blue eyes.  
  
"Were you finished?" He finally said, smiling.  
  
"No. The thing is-I don't know what to say about what happened."  
  
"You wish you could take it back?" He asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You either do or you don't."  
  
"I just don't want this to make problems with the group."  
  
"Screw the DiVAS, Kiddo. Do you think what happened was a mistake or don't you?"  
  
Beatrix finally looked back at him.  
  
"No. I don't think it was a mistake."  
  
"Me neither." He gave her a small half-smile.  
  
"I better go get dressed for the assignment." She smiled back.  
  
"I'll go downstairs and make sure Elle's prepped."  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
He went to get up, when suddenly she put her hand over his.  
  
"Bill, wait."  
  
"What is it, Kiddo?"  
  
She leaned towards him, her hands reaching up his face, kissing him deeply. It was a long, intoxicating kiss that surprised both of them by how normal this felt.  
  
When they broke apart, he looked at her, his warm brown eyes confused. Beatrix smiled, a little self-conscious.  
  
"I love waking up next to you. You know, if Elle hadn't been shrieking like a deranged harpy, it would have been really romantic."  
  
Bill smiled back.  
  
"I know what you mean."   
  
Elle, Vernita, O-Ren, Beatrix, Budd and Bill all sat on the couches surrounding the living room.  
  
"So basically, Elle, you guard the door while Beatrix makes the kill. This man has plenty of body guards, you'll no doubt have your work cut out for you." Bill said, laying out the schematics of the building on the table.  
  
"But don't worry, Elle, if it gets too difficult, I'll be out there soon." Beatrix said cruelly, crossing her arms over her chest with a satisfied smile.  
  
Bill stifled a laugh.  
  
"I'll be fine." Elle snapped, sheathing her sword as she stood up.  
  
"Then good luck, ladies."  
  
"Bye, Bill." Beatrix looked back at him with a small smile as she and Elle headed for the front door.  
  
"Bye, Bill." Elle mimicked in a girly, cloying voice under her breath as they stepped outside.  
  
"Uncanny impression, really." Beatrix rolled her eyes, pulling out the car keys and getting in.  
  
"Who said you get to drive?" Elle asked, narrowing her eye.  
  
"Well, considering I'm the only one of us with full peripheral vision, I say I get to drive." Beatrix put on her sunglasses.  
  
Elle shook her head with disgust, reluctantly getting in the passenger seat, the samurai sword at her side practically begging to accidentally come into her hand and accidentally chop Beatrix's pretty little head off. But she didn't say a word, just looked outside of the sleek black convertible with an eagle emblazoned on the hood. This car had always been Elle's favorite, but of course, he gave Beatrix the keys. She felt her skin prickle slightly with rage, but still didn't speak.  
  
Someday, she'd pay Beatrix back for ruining everything. Someday, the opportune moment would arise. The chance to get even would present itself. And she'd take it.  



End file.
